Green Team Newsletter

• Green Cleaning Award Winners
• Sponsorship Opportunities Now Available!
• Green Clean Webinar Series
• Green Clean Schools National Summit, 2011
• Green Clean Schools Blog

Congratulations, Green Cleaning Award Winners!

HSC congratulates the most recent winners of the Green Cleaning Award for Schools & Universities! We're thrilled to honor the schools and districts that are making green cleaning a priority, creating a healthier learning and working environment for students, teachers and staff.

Here's a list of the winners in the K-12/School Districts category:

• Grand Award:   East Meadow Union Free School District, Westbury, N.Y.

• Best New Program Award:   Columbia Public Schools, Columbia, Mo.

• Honorable Mentions:
  Sonoma Country Day School, Santa Rosa, Calif.
  Green Chimneys School, Brewster, N.Y.
  Newark Public Schools, Newark, N.J.
  Salt Lake City School District, Salt Lake City, Utah

Grand Award winner East Meadow Union Free School District has worked hard to integrate the latest in green technology while enhancing communication between custodial staff and vendors; implementing preventative maintenance plans; increasing energy efficiency and involving feedback from parents and teachers to find creative new solutions. And they're not done yet!

American School & University Magazine writes: "Although the district has made great strides in providing a safe and healthy environment for its students and teachers, Pizzo is not satisfied with the status quo. Through the collaborative efforts of administration, custodial staff, vendors, teachers, students and parents, he hopes to continue exploring new options for simultaneously maintaining a healthy, clean environment for all, while minimizing the impact on the environment."

This annual award is presented in collaboration with American School & University magazine and the Green Cleaning Network to recognize schools and their partners that embrace green principles and practices in their maintenance operations. The judging criteria are based on the Five Simple Steps to Green Cleaning outlined in our Quick & Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools.

To learn more about green cleaning or beginning a program at your school, check out HSC's free resources at www.greencleanschools.org!

Sponsorship Opportunities Available for 2011 Printing of The Quick & Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools

HSC is pleased to announce that sponsorship opportunities are now available for the 2011 printing of The Quick & Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools!

The expanded third edition will include changes to ecolabeling programs and updates on current laws and regulations. The expanded third edition includes updates on current laws and regulations plus detailed information on green cleaning and H1N1 and an expanded section on food service. Check it out for the latest in training and operations for green cleaning programs and much more

The deadline for sponsorship is June 1, 2011.

To learn more or join the green team, click here or contact Sara Klinzing at 312-419-1810.

Save the Date! Summer 2011 Green Cleaning Webinar Series

HSC is pleased to announce an exciting series of webinars for the summer of 2011! These webinars will feature leading experts with on-the-ground experience in the field of green cleaning. We’ll learn about practical tips, long-term strategy and resources to help at every stage of the process. Webinars include:

• June 15 - Learn from the Leaders: Practical Advice on Green Cleaning
• June 27 - Green Cleaning and Infection Control
• July 18 - New Technology and Green Cleaning
• August 1 - The Dollars and Cents of Green Cleaning
• August 15 - Going Back to School with Green Cleaning

Save the date for these exciting webinars and stay posted for details from HSC!

Save the Date! 2011 Green Clean Schools National Summit
Fourth Annual Summit to Build Coalitions, Develop Strategy

Concerned about healthy and clean schools for students and staff? Concerned about the environment? What to be part of a national movement to promote green cleaning in schools? Save the date for the 2011 Green Clean Schools National Summit!

The summit will bring together national organizations, corporate leaders, state activists and concerned individuals to develop state-specific strategies based on lessons learned from previous successful efforts.

More details on the 2011 summit coming soon!

HSC's staff experts discuss news stories and new developments every week at the HSC Blog. Stop by and leave a question or comment. And while you're there, enter your email address for automatic delivery on days when a new blog entry has been posted. Browse recent green cleaning entries.

Improving Indoor Air Quality: 'One of the Most Important Things a School District Can Do' | by Lindsay Muscato
On the EPA's blog, school superintendent and healthy schools advocate Richard Middleton writes about the importance of improving indoor air quality (IAQ). It's an often-overlooked way to increase student and teacher wellness, he says -- and steps don't have to be complicated. In his district, North East Independent School District in San Antonio, Texas, simply reducing clutter and eliminating carpets made a real difference. . . . Read more

Scrub Club! School Nurse Uses Creative Strategies and 'Clean Hands Up' Materials to Energize Handwashing Lessons | by Lana Buseman
Step 1: Wash hands with warm water! Step 2: Apply soap! Step 3: Now wash for 20 seconds! Step 4: Don’t forget those fingernails! Step 5: Rinse the bacteria away! Step 6: Dry hands with paper towel or warm air dryer! These are the six steps to proper hand washing from the Scrub Club’s Handwashing Song. In the 2008-2009 school year, school nurse Luisa Ramirez, RN, from Lily Lake Grade School in Maple Park, IL created her own incentive program at her school using the ideas and steps from the Scrub Club’s Handwashing Song. . . . . Read more

Green Jobs and Green, Clean Schools: Re-thinking the Role of School Custodians | by Mark Bishop
When we think of green jobs, we often think in terms of large construction projects: building wind turbines, solar panels, efficient transportation. This is all good and important work, but in the work we do, we look at it a bit differently. We think of green jobs as custodial services, environmental education, environmental justice, and in changing the day to day ways we think about our schools. What does this mean? Well, in schools, the only people who look at the entire facility on a daily basis are custodians -– let’s make sure we treat our custodians as a resource to green our facilities and to save money at the same time. It all starts with improving the training we provide to our custodial staff. Here are a few things that could help take us in that direction . . . . Read more

Stephen Colbert on Really Green Cleaning & Raw Milk | by Mark Bishop
Shortly on the heels of taking on farm workers rights, Stephen Colbert takes on an issue close to our hearts -- green cleaning. The state of New York announced in September that it is going to begin enforcing a 40-year-old law that would require manufacturers to reveal their products' contents. Transparency is important, and this could be a good move in the continued push for greater adoption of greener cleaning. However, there is one interesting note to the NY law. . . . . Read more

Order your copy of The Quick & Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools, a publication that presents five easy steps to a greener, healthier working environment for students, faculty and staff. For more information, visit us online.

Plus! Could you use multiple copies of the guide for an event? HSC can provide multiple copies of The Quick & Easy Guide for attendees at relevant events and conferences. To learn more or request guides, please contact us.

Advancing Green Chemistry Practices in Business: GC3 Innovators Roundtable | Cupertino, CA | May 4 and 5 | More

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